If I had to guess, it's been over an hour.
To my relief — Rain finally wakes up.
The first thing she does is sob.
And I hold her through it.
Her shaking body presses against mine, and the guilt nearly suffocates me.
I ruined her life.
Dragged her into this mess.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, arms tight around her.
I don't have anything else to say. There's no excuse.
She pulls back slightly, her tear-streaked face searching mine.
Then her eyes widen in shock.
"What the hell happened to you?"
Oh.
Right.
The bruises.
From when Void manhandled me — threw me like a ragdoll.
I haven't even felt them since we left the house.
Maybe it's the fear.
Maybe it's the adrenaline.
Or maybe I'm already going numb.
A voice cuts through the silence.
"Food is ready."
Rain and I both jerk our heads toward the bars.
It's him.
Romain.
Leaning casually against the wall, like he didn't just help kidnap us.
His eyes aren't on me.
They've been fixed on her — the entire time.
I glare at him.
Rain blushes.
Seriously, Rain?
You're swooning?
This man helped kidnap us.
He speaks again, softer now, like we're in a damn café.
"Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
Still looking only at her.
Not me.
Not even a glance.
I bite my tongue.
Apparently, bruises and blood don't earn sympathy unless you're Rain.
"Yeah, my freedom," I snap, voice laced with venom.
Romain finally looks at me.
The softness in his eyes from before — gone.
Now they're cold. Empty.
"You're a criminal," he says flatly.
"Stealing from the King is a crime punishable by death."
The words hit hard.
Not because I'm scared — but because of how casually he says it.
Like it's obvious. Like it's justice.
I don't flinch.
Instead, I look at Rain.
She lowers her gaze.
She won't meet my eyes.
Like she's... ashamed of me?
That stings.
"Dial it back, okay?" I mutter, trying to keep calm.
If I'm going to survive this, I need answers.
I need to understand Void. Who he is. What he wants.
And if there's a chance I can give him back his creepy, cursed jewelry and walk away from this alive.
"How is Void a king?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at Romain.
"King of what, exactly?"
He crosses his arms.
"He's of royal descent," he says, like that answers anything.
"From where? Royalty of what? This isn't fucking Europe. There are no kingdoms here."
Romain's jaw tightens.
"You wouldn't understand," he says, and for the first time, I hear it —
That tone.
Like I'm beneath him.
Like I'm the outsider.
"Try me."
He takes a slow step forward, his voice lowering like a priest before an altar.
"Void is King of Leperd — a kingdom not of your world. A bloodline that predates yours by millennia. You are no equal to him. Show some respect to my King."
His words burn with devotion, with pride… with something feral just beneath the surface.
"Fuck you," I spit back without thinking.
That's when I hear it.
A low, animalistic growl rumbles from his throat.
Not human. Not even close.
It vibrates through the air, through the stone walls.
And my body instinctively jerks backward in fear.
What the hell was that?
My heart slams against my ribs. My mouth goes dry.
I stare at him — really stare.
His jaw tight, his lips curled just enough to show teeth. His eyes no longer brown — but something darker, wilder. Like something is watching me through him.
What the hell are they?
Beside me, Rain gasps — a breathy sound of disbelief.
I glance at her.
Her mouth is open, eyes locked on Romain like she's seeing him for the first time.
"Rain…" I whisper.
She doesn't answer.
Because neither of us can look away.
Because in this moment, we both realize —
We're not dealing with rich men playing kings.
We're not even dealing with men.
"Now eat," Romain says, before vanishing into the shadows of the hallway.
We do as we're told — because what other choice do we have?
The food tastes bland, but it's warm.
Still, I can't stop glancing at Rain every few seconds.
She looks like a smitten schoolgirl. Dreamy-eyed. Like her daddy owns the dungeon.
"He could kill both of us," I mutter, snapping her back to reality.
She stiffens. Her smile fades.
And then… she ignores me.
"Rain, I need you to be level-headed with me here."
She slams her spoon into the metal bowl.
"Being with you is what got me here in the first place."
I blink, stunned.
"Oh, for fuck's sake— you're falling in love with some browned-out prick with a goatee, and you wanna throw this on me?"
She glares at me, eyes burning.
"You never take accountability, Rose."
I laugh — bitter and sharp.
"That's rich coming from you. We're literally kidnapped, I was beaten half to death, and you're over there fantasizing about sucking the kidnapper's dick like this is a damn enemies-to-lovers Wattpad story."
That did it.
In a second, Rain lunges at me — hands in my hair, slapping wildly, screaming.
I fight back.
We tumble across the stone floor, grappling, clawing, shouting.
Years of friendship unraveling in seconds — unraveling under pressure, under fear.
I finally shove her off, and she stumbles back, panting hard.
Grunting from exhaustion.
Me?
I feel fine.
Too fine.
My heart should be racing.
My body should ache from bruises and slaps and blood loss.
But I feel… strong.
Steady.
Healed, even.
I glance down at my arms — at where bruises were earlier.
Gone.
What the hell is happening to me?
I feel dizzy now.
My knees buckle, and I lean hard against the cold stone wall, barely able to hold myself upright.
The world spins.
Then — thud.
Rain collapses.
She hits the floor, limp and lifeless.
My heart seizes.
"Rain!"
I force my body forward, every step a battle. I fall to my knees beside her, shaking her gently. Her eyes are shut. Her skin clammy.
It's the food.
He drugged it.
But it's affecting her differently than me. While she's unconscious, my body just… churns. Sick. Burning. Like it's fighting something off.
I bite back a sob and hold her tighter, trying not to break.
"You're awake," Roman says flatly from across the cell, his eyes cold.
"No shit, Sherlock," I snap, voice hoarse.
Then I hear it.
Him.
His voice is a dark velvet thread pulling all the air from the room.
"See, Roman... this little tiger—"
My heart drops.
Void.
He steps into view like he owns the darkness, his eyes locked on me — predatory and calm. A storm behind glass.
I instinctively hold Rain tighter.
"—requires more... force," he says, voice low and chilling.
And then he's inside the cell. Just appears, like the shadows opened for him.
So beautiful.
So evil.
He walks over to me, smooth, unhurried. I don't fight — what's the point?
He raises his hand—
And everything goes black the moment it connects with my head.